my core values essay

Essays About Values: 5 Essay Examples Plus 10 Prompts

Similar to how our values guide us, let this guide with essays about values and writing prompts help you write your essay.

Values are the core principles that guide the actions we take and the choices we make. They are the cornerstones of our identity. On a community or organizational level, values are the moral code that every member must embrace to live harmoniously and work together towards shared goals. 

We acquire our values from different sources such as parents, mentors, friends, cultures, and experiences. All of these build on one another — some rejected as we see fit — for us to form our perception of our values and what will lead us to a happy and fulfilled life.

5 Essay Examples

1. what today’s classrooms can learn from ancient cultures by linda flanagan, 2. stand out to your hiring panel with a personal value statement by maggie wooll, 3. make your values mean something by patrick m. lencioni, 4. how greed outstripped need by beth azar, 5. a shift in american family values is fueling estrangement by joshua coleman, 1. my core values, 2. how my upbringing shaped my values, 3. values of today’s youth, 4. values of a good friend, 5. an experience that shaped your values, 6. remembering our values when innovating, 7. important values of school culture, 8. books that influenced your values, 9. religious faith and moral values, 10. schwartz’s theory of basic values.

“Connectedness is another core value among Maya families, and teachers seek to cultivate it… While many American teachers also value relationships with their students, that effort is undermined by the competitive environment seen in many Western classrooms.”

Ancient communities keep their traditions and values of a hands-off approach to raising their kids. They also preserve their hunter-gatherer mindsets and others that help their kids gain patience, initiative, a sense of connectedness, and other qualities that make a helpful child.

“How do you align with the company’s mission and add to its culture? Because it contains such vital information, your personal value statement should stand out on your resume or in your application package.”

Want to rise above other candidates in the jobs market? Then always highlight your value statement. A personal value statement should be short but still, capture the aspirations and values of the company. The essay provides an example of a captivating value statement and tips for crafting one.

“Values can set a company apart from the competition by clarifying its identity and serving as a rallying point for employees. But coming up with strong values—and sticking to them—requires real guts.”

Along with the mission and vision, clear values should dictate a company’s strategic goals. However, several CEOs still needed help to grasp organizational values fully. The essay offers a direction in setting these values and impresses on readers the necessity to preserve them at all costs. 

“‘He compared the values held by people in countries with more competitive forms of capitalism with the values of folks in countries that have a more cooperative style of capitalism… These countries rely more on strategic cooperation… rather than relying mostly on free-market competition as the United States does.”

The form of capitalism we have created today has shaped our high value for material happiness. In this process, psychologists said we have allowed our moral and ethical values to drift away from us for greed to take over. You can also check out these essays about utopia .

“From the adult child’s perspective, there might be much to gain from an estrangement: the liberation from those perceived as hurtful or oppressive, the claiming of authority in a relationship, and the sense of control over which people to keep in one’s life. For the mother or father, there is little benefit when their child cuts off contact.”

It is most challenging when the bonds between parent and child weaken in later years. Psychologists have been navigating this problem among modern families, which is not an easy conflict to resolve. It requires both parties to give their best in humbling themselves and understanding their loved ones, no matter how divergent their values are. 

10 Writing  Prompts On Essays About Values

For this topic prompt, contemplate your non-negotiable core values and why you strive to observe them at all costs. For example, you might value honesty and integrity above all else. Expound on why cultivating fundamental values leads to a happy and meaningful life. Finally, ponder other values you would like to gain for your future self. Write down how you have been practicing to adopt these aspired values. 

Many of our values may have been instilled in us during childhood. This essay discusses the essential values you gained from your parents or teachers while growing up. Expound on their importance in helping you flourish in your adult years. Then, offer recommendations on what households, schools, or communities can do to ensure that more young people adopt these values.

Is today’s youth lacking essential values, or is there simply a shift in what values generations uphold? Strive to answer this and write down the healthy values that are emerging and dying. Then think of ways society can preserve healthy values while doing away with bad ones. Of course, this change will always start at home, so also encourage parents, as role models, to be mindful of their words, actions and behavior.  

The greatest gift in life is friendship. In this essay, enumerate the top values a friend should have. You may use your best friend as an example. Then, cite the best traits your best friend has that have influenced you to be a better version of yourself. Finally, expound on how these values can effectively sustain a healthy friendship in the long term. 

We all have that one defining experience that has forever changed how we see life and the values we hold dear. Describe yours through storytelling with the help of our storytelling guide . This experience may involve a decision, a conversation you had with someone, or a speech you heard at an event.  

With today’s innovation, scientists can make positive changes happen. But can we truly exercise our values when we fiddle with new technologies whose full extent of positive and adverse effects we do not yet understand such as AI? Contemplate this question and look into existing regulations on how we curb the creation or use of technologies that go against our values. Finally, assess these rules’ effectiveness and other options society has. 

Highlight a school’s role in honing a person’s values. Then, look into the different aspects of your school’s culture. Identify which best practices distinct in your school are helping students develop their values. You could consider whether your teachers exhibit themselves as admirable role models or specific parts of the curriculum that help you build good character. 

In this essay, recommend your readers to pick up your favorite books, particularly those that served as pathways to enlightening insights and values. To start, provide a summary of the book’s story. It would be better if you could do so without revealing too much to avoid spoiling your readers’ experience. Then, elaborate on how you have applied the values you learned from the book.

For many, religious faith is the underlying reason for their values. For this prompt, explore further the inextricable links between religion and values. If you identify with a certain religion, share your thoughts on the values your sector subscribes to. You can also tread the more controversial path on the conflicts of religious values with socially accepted beliefs or practices, such as abortion. 

Dive deeper into the ten universal values that social psychologist Shalom Schwartz came up with: power, achievement, hedonism, stimulation, self-direction, universalism, benevolence, tradition, conformity, and security. Look into their connections and conflicts against each other. Then, pick your favorite value and explain how you relate to it the most. Also, find if value conflicts within you, as theorized by Schwartz.

Make sure to check out our round-up of the best essay checkers . If you want to use the latest grammar software, read our guide on using an AI grammar checker .

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How to Focus on Your Values in Your Personal Statement

This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by CEG Essay Specialist Kaila Barber in a CollegeVine livestream. You can watch the full livestream for more info.

What’s Covered: 

Identifying your own values, demonstrate your values with examples.

• Reflecting on Your Experiences

It’s important to keep in mind what your reader is hoping to learn from your personal statement. The statement is an opportunity to reflect on your experiences and demonstrate how you think about and relate to the world around you. Specifically, what are some of your values? What’s meaningful to you? What do you find important? 

Personal values can be things like communication, patience, nature, health, personal development, courage, self-love, authenticity, healthy boundaries, or even humor. Before you start drafting your personal statement, take a moment to reflect on the things that you find important and why. 

We’re all very different people coming from different backgrounds, and we have different experiences that impact our individual values. While some of your values will overlap with those of other people, your personal reflection on the values that resonate most with you will separate your statement from someone else’s. 

The best way to include your values, skills, and traits in your essay is to pair them with specific examples and anecdotes. Each anecdote should align with at least one of the values that you find most important and should be accompanied by your personal reflection on the value and its related experience. 

Here’s an example. A student does not have a parent or guardian around to shoulder the expenses of caring for them and their younger sibling. In their outline, the student says that they value autonomy, financial stability, and family. Throughout the essay, they demonstrate these values by talking about getting a part-time job to help support the family and caring for their sibling at home. They also excel academically and even petition to have an AP Physics II course offered at their school. 

The student has shown autonomy by taking the initiative to petition for the new course and by getting a job. They have also demonstrated that both financial stability and family are important to them by pitching in to support their parent and sibling.

Your examples should show your reader your values by being specific and personal to your background and experiences.

Reflecting on Your Experiences 

Reflecting on your values is an equally important part of the personal statement. Your reflections or insight should focus on not only your experiences but also who you are and who you want to become. The insight you include in your essay shows that you’ve really found meaning from your personal experiences.

Insight can take a few forms. A common way to show insight is by writing about a growth experience. Show how you went from point A in your life to point B, and share the lessons you’ve learned along the way. For example, people often reflect on how navigating a strenuous activity or challenge changed the way that they thought about themselves and what they could handle. Reflecting on that change in confidence is one way to demonstrate insight.

One of the clearest ways to explore insight is to self-reflect and write about how something has either connected you to, influenced, or reframed how you think of your own values. Maybe you once pushed yourself too hard, and that experience showed you the value of rest and mindfulness. Or perhaps a change in circumstances shifted or redefined your values to an extent. 

For example, a person might say that while they craved stability as a child because of their home life, they now see the value of risk-taking and adventure in enriching their own knowledge and experiences. In this example, both security and risk are important to the speaker, but their experiences ultimately shifted weight from one value to another.

Regardless of how you approach your personal statement, insight is the overarching meaning that you take away from the relevant experiences and values you’ve shared.

Are you looking for more guidance as you draft your personal statement? Check out this post on how to come up with a strong topic that wows your admissions reader!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

What Matters Most to You and Why: Uncovering Your Core Values in Essays

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on April 6, 2024

Categories Creativity , Education

Exploring the depths of what matters most to you isn’t just a reflective exercise; it’s a cornerstone of authenticity and self-awareness. You might often find yourself caught up in the daily rush, seldom pausing to consider this reflective question.

Yet, understanding what drives you and gives your life meaning is essential. Whether it informs your choices in life, shapes your goals, or steers your relationships—pinpointing these core values is a journey worth taking.

As you peel back the layers of your ambitions and fears, you reveal your personal narrative —a story only you can tell. This isn’t just about reaching a moment of epiphany but rather acknowledging the rich tapestry of experiences that defines you.

Self-awareness is a powerful tool. It allows you to navigate life with more intention and clarity. When you articulate what matters most to you, you’re not just mapping your internal motivations but also setting the groundwork for a life that resonates with purpose. It’s about honoring your individuality and the unique impact you aspire to make.

Defining Your Core Values

Your core values are the guiding principles that dictate your behavior and actions. They shape your personal and professional life, influencing your choices and interactions with the world.

Influence of Family and Friends

Family and Friends contribute significantly to shaping your values. The morals and principles you’ve observed and absorbed from your family from an early age form a foundation for your values. For instance, if honesty and integrity were highly regarded in your household, they likely feature prominently in your value system.

Similarly, your friends can impact your values through their perspectives and actions, further defining what matters most to you.

Professional Experiences and Career Aspirations

Your career aspirations and experiences in the workplace play a critical role in shaping your values. The desire for achievement and professional growth may lead you to prioritize values such as diligence and innovation.

Reflection on how to find, define, and use your values professionally can help align your career trajectory with your personal value system, ensuring that what you do resonates with who you are.

Academic and Extracurricular Passions

Lastly, your academic interests and extracurricular activities are a playground for expressing your values. Whether you value creativity, which could be reflected in pursuing arts and literature, or if you prize knowledge and are drawn to research and science, your academic life enhances and reflects your values.

Similarly, hobbies and passions complement your academic pursuits, giving a fuller picture of what matters to you – be it community service, sports, or any other field that allows you to express your intrinsic values.

Narrating Your Journey

In narrating your journey , you’re not just recounting events but reflecting on the turning points that have shaped who you are. Your narrative will encapsulate your struggles, passions, and the wisdom gained through life experiences.

Significant Life Moments

Think back to the milestone events in your life. Maybe it was the joyous day you graduated from college, illustrating your passion for education. These moments are vital chapters in your story that highlight your evolving character and the values that drive you.

Overcoming Challenges

Challenges are inevitable, but your resilience in the face of obstacles showcases your growth . Whether it was a professional setback or a personal loss, how you rose from these times speaks volumes about your strength and commitment to personal growth .

Moments of Personal Growth

These are the times when you learn the most about yourself. Perhaps it was a tough decision that taught you the weight of regrets and the importance of making choices aligned with your values. Reflect on these experiences as pivotal points in your story where you saw significant personal growth.

Articulating Your Purpose

Discovering and articulating your purpose involves deeply exploring your passions and dreams to establish a clear vision for your future that resonates with your desire to make a positive impact.

Envisioning Your Future

Think about where you want to be. Sketch out a roadmap for your life that’s guided by your deepest aspirations. Instead of vague wishes, identify specific goals that align with your passions. For example, if you dream of becoming an educator, outline the steps to get you into the classroom, the educational philosophy you want to embody, and how you aspire to influence your students’ lives.

Making a Positive Impact

Identify the mark you wish to leave on the world. Reflect on areas where you’re driven to make a change—be it in your community, workplace, or a broader scale. This might mean volunteering for causes you’re passionate about or pursuing a career that enables you to address issues close to your heart.

Documentation of previous experiences with positive impact can fuel your commitment and give a clearer picture of the path forward.

Essays on What Matters Most to You

Structuring Your Essay

When you sit down to convey what matters most to you and why, structuring your essay can be as critical as the content itself. Your goal is to create a narrative that answers the essay question and captivates the reader with clear intention.

Employing a Clear Narrative

Start your essay with a compelling hook to draw your reader into your world. A personal anecdote can be a window into what drives you as a foundation for the narrative you intend to weave through your essay.

The body of your narrative should be a journey that methodically reveals layers of your character and values, culminating in a climax that resonates with the essence of the prompt.

• If leadership is central to your story, begin with a moment that epitomizes your leadership qualities.
• Should you focus on a personal transformation, choose an instance that best illustrates that pivotal change.

Maintaining Clarity of Purpose

The soul of your essay lies in its purpose. Consistently ask yourself, “Does this sentence serve my central theme?” Maintain a laser focus on answering the ‘why’ component of the essay prompt. Each paragraph should advance your narrative and underscore your central message, leading to a reflective and insightful conclusion that underscores your central thesis.

Quick Tips:

• Bold key sentences that directly address the question to ensure they stand out.
• Use italics for emphasis, particularly when reflecting on the significance of your experiences or beliefs.

Showcasing Authenticity

When it comes down to what matters most, being true to who you are and confidently sharing your journey can set you apart. Showcasing authenticity involves embracing and expressing your unique qualities and experiences.

Being Genuinely You

Your authenticity is your distinct fingerprint in a world teeming with duplication. To embrace your true self , consider these points:

• Values : Your core beliefs guide you. Recognize them, stand by them, and let them be known.
• Personality : Celebrate your quirks. They make you, you .

Likewise, understanding your weaknesses is just as crucial as knowing your strengths. This level of self-awareness breeds a deep-seated authenticity.

Sharing Your Unique Story

Each of us has a tale that’s uniquely ours. How you share that story can make an enduring impression. Keep these storytelling elements in mind:

• Context : Provide the background that shapes your narrative. This gives your story a foundation.
• Authentic Moments : Details about turning points or lessons learned showcase growth and character.

Remember, your authentic story isn’t just what you’ve done but also why you’ve done it — the motives and passions driving your actions. Being authentic means that you’re not just sharing a narrative but also the diverse emotions and thoughts that come with it.

Reflecting on the Influence of Relationships

In this journey of life, your relationships profoundly shape your emotions, experiences, and the paths you choose. Here’s how:

Relating Through Emotion and Experiences

You navigate life’s highs and lows through a complex web of emotional connections with others. Imagine the shared laughter over a meal that turns strangers into friends or the silent empathy from a loved one during tough times.

These interactions aren’t just fleeting moments; they are the threads that weave the fabric of your life. For instance, couples often find self-reflection critical for healthy relationships, suggesting that how you perceive and adjust in relationship contexts is vital to your personal growth.

• Emotional Support: Your bonds can offer comfort and a safety net, enhancing your life satisfaction.
• Shared Experiences: The joint adventures you embark on enrich your narrative and personal development.

Navigating the Admissions Process

When applying to a college or MBA program, it’s vital to understand the inner workings of the admissions process. This knowledge can give you a competitive edge and align your application with what admissions committees seek.

Understanding What Admissions Committees Look For

Admissions committees select candidates who showcase academic prowess and potential for future success. There are specific attributes that matter:

• Academic Achievement : A solid academic record with competitive grades and test scores is crucial.
• Professional Experience: Relevant work experience can set you apart for MBA admissions .
• Personal Essays : Your essays should reflect clarity of thought, leadership qualities, and long-term goals.
• Letters of Recommendation : Strong endorsements from professionals or academics who have witnessed your capabilities intimately.
• Extracurricular Activities : Engagement outside the classroom signifies a well-rounded applicant.

Aligning your application with these focal points can significantly impact the impressions you leave on the admissions committee.

Crafting Your Essay

It’s important that you inject your personality into your writing while maintaining the right balance of professionalism. You want the essay to truly reflect who you are.

Writing with Wit and Humor

Wit can be a sharp tool in your essay-writing arsenal, allowing you to express your thoughts engagingly and memorably. However, use humor with caution; it should feel natural, not forced. Your essays will stand out if you can make the admissions committee chuckle without veering off-topic or sacrificing your essay’s core message.

Balancing Professionalism with Personality

You’re not just a professional but a person with unique traits and experiences. Infuse your personality into your essay, but do so professionally. This means avoiding overly casual language and ensuring your anecdotes and reflections are relevant to the essay’s prompt. Being professional doesn’t mean being devoid of personality; it means presenting yourself as a well-rounded candidate.

Managing Essay Length and Details

Your essays should be concise yet detailed. Aim for a sharp focus rather than a sprawling narrative. When discussing what matters most, every word should serve a purpose.

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Do Your Career and Work Values Align?

By  Saundra Loffredo

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What are your core values, and why are they important to consider when evaluating your career options? Your core values are principles that you find desirable, important or even essential. An alignment between your career and your core values produces satisfaction, a sense of happiness and fulfillment. A misalignment can cause can everything from minor problems to major disruptions.

Work core values are typically broken into three types:

• Intrinsic values are related to the intangibles about the career. These are the values that motivate you and help you feel fulfilled. Examples of intrinsic values are giving back to society and expressing your creativity.
• Extrinsic values relate to the tangible rewards derived from your career and your work environment. Some examples of extrinsic values are pay, working as part of a team and providing influence.
• Lifestyle values. Lifestyle values are a type of second-tier value. What you do for a career and where you work produces a certain type of lifestyle. The type of lifestyle you desire can help complete the picture of what you value. A few examples of lifestyle values include living in a big city, traveling extensively and living simply.

Some people’s core values may have been obvious to them for a long time. For others, a recent event may uncover a set of personal core values. Recognition of your own core values may come to you naturally, or the process can be a struggle.

I wish I could say that I knew from a young age what I valued in life and what I wanted to do with my career. It took many years and multiple jobs for me to understand myself, my values and the importance of keeping those things in alignment with the work I did. For me, I think the answer was there for a long time, but I just didn’t see it. I must have been looking for a great cataclysmic event to make things clear. There was no earthquake that produced a sign saying, “This way is your personal path to career happiness!” In hindsight, understanding my values shouldn’t have been such a mystery.

Two people can have the same core values, yet their values can be understood or expressed in different ways. An example of this can be seen when looking at Naveena and Stephen. Both hold Ph.D.s in the life sciences and decided to go directly to work after graduation. Stephen and Naveena share the extrinsic value of wanting to provide influence and the lifestyle value of desiring to travel extensively. While they share two of the same core values, they are honoring those values with different career choices.

Naveena just accepted a management consulting job. She believes that helping to guide different organizations spread across the world is the best way for her be true to her desire for freedom. Management consulting can be perfect fit for Naveena. She is not constrained by doing the same job, in the same office, every day. Her work duties and office locations change frequently based on the projects that her company assigns her. This amount of freedom keeps Naveena happy and fulfilled.

Stephen is working as a freelance medical communications specialist. He doesn’t want to work for one organization and likes the freedom to choose the types of contracts he accepts. As a freelancer, Stephen can work where and when he wants. One of his goals in the next 12 months is to travel extensively throughout Thailand. He plans to work while traveling because, as a freelancer, he can take his office with him on a daily basis. Stephen is thrilled to be able to combine his travel goals with his career choice.

You need to have a good understanding of yourself and your values to readily analyze your current or future situations. Tim had his aha moment regarding his values when he was in high school. His 11th-grade English teacher, Mr. Rubenstein, helped facilitate his interest with British and American literature. Tim often asked him questions about the readings after class, and Mr. Rubenstein happily provided Tim with additional stories and articles to read in his spare time. The mentoring relationship between Tim and Mr. Rubenstein created that aha moment. Tim learned that he valued helping others, continuous learning and influencing people. He finished his Ph.D. in literature, teaches at a California university and mentors a group of students who want to become teachers and faculty members. Tim is happy and fulfilled, and he enjoys his career.

Why it is important to understand and align your values with your career? Your values give you a sense of purpose and are guideposts to what fits you best. If you are working in a role or organization that is not a good match for your values, your “symptoms” may vary from mild to strong. On the mild side, you might feel a general sense of discomfort or a lack of connection with your situation. Feeling a lack of motivation and constantly wanting to take a day off are other indicators that there could be a mismatch. On the extreme end, a misalignment between your career and your values could make you completely miserable, trigger depression or even cause you to become physically ill.

What if you don’t know what your core values are? Where do you begin the process of understanding what you truly value at work and in your life? You can find numerous resources to help you on your self-awareness journey.

If you prefer to explore through books, you have multiple options. Each of the following tackles the subject of work and life values in a different way: Return to Your Core: Principles for a Respected and Purposeful Life by Jay C. Rifenbary, Unwrapping Your Passion: Creating the Life You Truly Want by Karen Putz, and Know Yourself, Grow Your Career: The Personal Proposition Workbook by Anne Marie Segal.

You also have numerous options if you want to take your core values journey via websites or article. For a running list of values to trigger brainstorming, consider this article by Allison Doyle or another by Dawn Rosenberg McKay. This blog post by Anne Loehr explains her journey and how she lives by her values.

More career-focused and detailed assessments can be found in other resources. The MyIDP tool for scientists offers multiple self-assessment tools, including a values inventory. Social science and humanities graduate students and postdocs can find a similar tool at ImaginePhD .

Another popular website for individuals in all career fields is O*Net OnLine . This site is a comprehensive resource for detailed job descriptions. The descriptions are cross-referenced by multiple systems including the Classification of Instructional Programs and the Occupational Outlook Handbook. The website’s advanced search function allows you to browse jobs by work values and other categories.

If you don’t know what your core values are yet, start the work to get those answers. Once you know your values, consider how your career meshes with your values. You may already have a great fit between values and career, or there could be a mismatch. It’s never too late to better understand your core values and align your career to them. Your career satisfaction and happiness may depend upon it.

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Essay on My Values

Students are often asked to write an essay on My Values in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on My Values

What are values.

Values are like invisible guides that help us make choices. Imagine them as a compass that points us to what feels right and good. They are the beliefs that we hold dear and they shape how we behave with others and how we treat ourselves.

My Important Values

Values in daily life.

Every day, my values guide me. When I share my toys, that’s kindness. If I make a mistake and tell the truth, that’s honesty. When I listen to my friends, even if we disagree, that’s showing respect. These values help me live happily with others.

Why Values Matter

Values are important because they help us live together peacefully. When we all use values like kindness, honesty, and respect, our school and home become better places. Values make us better friends, students, and family members. They are the heart of a happy life.

250 Words Essay on My Values

One of my main values is kindness. This means I try to be friendly and caring to everyone. If someone falls down, I will help them get up. Sharing my toys with others is also part of being kind. Kindness makes the world a happier place for everyone.

Being honest is another value I hold dear. This means I always tell the truth, even when it’s hard. If I break something, I admit it. Honesty builds trust, and when people trust you, they believe in you more.

Respect is treating others the way you want to be treated. I listen when others are speaking and do not interrupt. I also take care of things around me, like books and toys, because showing respect makes everyone feel valued.

I also believe in hard work. This means I try my best at school and when I help at home. Even when a task is difficult, I do not give up. Working hard teaches me that I can overcome challenges.

These values of kindness, honesty, respect, and hard work are like the roots of a tree. They keep me strong and steady. Living by these values makes me a better friend, student, and family member.

500 Words Essay on My Values

Introduction to my values.

One of my most important values is honesty. It means telling the truth and being fair. When I am honest, my friends and family trust me, and it makes me feel good about myself. It is like a clear sky without clouds, where everyone can see everything clearly. Being honest can sometimes be hard, especially if I make a mistake, but admitting it and trying to fix it is the right thing to do.

Kindness is like a warm blanket on a cold day. It is about being friendly, generous, and considerate to others. When I am kind to people, it can make their day better and it makes me happy too. It doesn’t cost anything to smile or help someone, but it can mean a lot. Even animals and plants deserve kindness because they are part of our world.

Responsibility

Perseverance.

Perseverance is like a tiny seed that grows into a big tree, no matter how tough it gets. It means not giving up, even when things are hard. When I keep trying, I learn new things and get better at what I do. It’s okay to fail sometimes because that’s how I learn to succeed.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

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Free Core Values Essay Example

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: People , Value , Integrity , Authenticity , Life , Goals , Courage , Compassion

Published: 12/05/2021

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Core values

Core values are principles that guide the behavior of people and also supports the goals and purpose of an individual. They usually define who the person is. They are necessary virtues that guide people in achieving their visions and missions. Different people have different core values that assist them in their respective areas of duty. I have different core values that define who I am. Core values cannot be helpful to a person unless they maintain the integrity with them. I have been able to achieve different goals and targets because of living a life that is aligned with my core values. Core values enable people to have meaningful lives, thereby giving them the feeling of satisfaction that comes when one achieves the goals and mission. The most important personal values I observe are integrity, authenticity, courage, compassion, truthfulness, and trust. My first core value is integrity. It is a quality that enables people to live with honest and observing strong moral values. It allows me to maintain upright morals and good ethical standards in whatever I do. Standing by the value of integrity is hard. For that reason, I treat integrity as the only option. It acts as an internal compass that directs the person to the right directing whatever he or she is doing. The other core value I observe is authenticity. Through this value, I live genuinely by being honest with me. It helps me accept my limits, knowing what I’m capable of and what I’m not capable of doing. It is a significant value since it helps me abide by other core values by being aligned with them. There are many ways through which I enhance the authenticity virtue. It is possible through being courageous to self-disclose what I can, being transparent, and gauging myself to know my limits. Courage is the other value that is associated with authenticity. With courage, you do everything without fears of what other people may think of you. It helps me take risks and doing what I think is integral to me. Compassion is the fourth core value I observe. Being kind and sensitive to other people is important. Understanding people and being empathetic to them during problems increases the chances of the same people helping you during the problem. People usually forget what you say, but they will never forget what you do. Therefore, compassion helps to perform good deeds for other people. The said core values have different roles they play in my life, although they assist in one goal that is self-development. I live by my values in everything I do. By so doing, I always find myself mostly doing the right thing. I am always constantly principled with making a change in my life, and this becomes the critical reasons why I adopted the said core values. Core values are not permanent and are sometimes broken depending on the circumstances. Values are not laws and are not enforceable hence I can at some situations break them. Some situations can make me reconsider my core values or at some stages change them. In the case where I am involved in crime, and there is the possibility of facing conviction, I will be forced to reconsider some of the values. For instance, it can be a situation whereby if you tell the truth, you will be found guilty, the only option will be going against the value of integrity to avoid the sentence. That is an example of a situation where I will reconsider my values.

Dennis, S. (2012). The Strength perspective in social work practice. Pearson Higher Ed. Jerzy, S. (2007). Core Values and Cultural Identity. Ethnic and racial studies, 4(1), 75-90. Shalom, S., & Vittorio, G. (2010). Basic Personal Values, Core Political Values, and Voting: Longitudinal Analysis. Political Psychology, 31(3), 421-452. Wreight, M. (2015). Personal core values. Retrieved from The integrity coach: www.theintrgrity coach.com?personal-core-values

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Core Values List

Below is a list of core values commonly used by leadership institutes and programs. This list is not exhaustive, but it will give you an idea of some common core values (also called personal values). My recommendation is to select less than five core values to focus on—if everything is a core value, then nothing is really a priority.

• Authenticity
• Achievement
• Citizenship
• Contribution
• Determination
• Friendships
• Inner Harmony
• Meaningful Work
• Recognition
• Responsibility
• Self-Respect
• Spirituality
• Trustworthiness

Note: many of the personal values listed above came from a list I received while working with The LeaderShape Institute.

Integrity Reports

I use my core values to create my annual Integrity Reports . Writing these reports is a yearly ritual that forces me to think about how I am living out my core values in real life.

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Core Values in Personal Belief System Essay

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Although a number of values shape my life, there are five values that are very important to me. These are my core values and include happiness, family, friends, pleasure and financial security and stability. I received these values from my parents and major events that have shaped my life. Additionally, these values dictate my daily activities and how I relate to people in the society. For that reason, my core values signify things that outline my life. I will be discussing who I am in terms of important values that shape my personal belief system and decision-making framework that describes the direction of my life.

The key to happiness is maximizing pleasure and reducing pain. Happiness is an indication that my life has a meaning and that I can accomplish my goals. The pleasant moods and emotions brought about by happiness are very important to me. However, I must fulfill most of my aspirations in order to live a happy life. Therefore, the more desires I fulfill, the happier my life will be. Moreover, happier people are physically and mentally healthier. Consequently, happiness gives me the necessary strength and right frame of mind to face life. Happiness, hence, drives my success. As a result, my life becomes more satisfying.

A family brings about a feeling of being wanted and connected to my close confidants. Therefore, a family is very important to me. This is because I have people around me who I can look up to in times of happiness and sorrow. In this context, a family is not only my kinsmen but also people I can closely relate to. It will be very difficult for me to succeed without people who care and trust me. In addition, a family will take pride in my success and encourage me when I am down and out. Moreover, with my nuclear family close, I am guaranteed of a loyal support. For that reason, I believe that I am who I am because of my family.

Having friends will always be in the list of my core values. To me, friends create a social bond which has many advantages. To start with, friends help me overcome and interpret challenges. In addition, I continuously learn a lot of new things from friends. For instance, I discover new survival tactics in the various traits displayed by my friends. Moreover, friends help me socialize. This is advantageous to me because socializing offers some emotional support to me. Consequently, stress and depression associated with loneliness are not in my dictionary. Friends, therefore, help me cope with life in the best way possible.

As a human being, I seek satisfaction in all my undertakings. Pleasure, as a core value, is all about satisfaction. Moreover, pleasure generates happiness in me. For that reason, I am able to face life as a more contented person. However, not all things derive pleasure to me. Therefore, I prioritize my daily activities depending on the pleasure generated. This helps me live a more focused and efficient life. Pleasure, therefore, brings out the best in me. It makes me work very hard towards achieving my lifetime goals.

Financial security and stability is also very important value to me. Although money cannot buy happiness, it brings about contentment. God will only cater for my needs if I work towards my financial security and stability. This is because I need money to cater for my bills. This means that my survival solely depends on my finances. Additionally, financial security will enable me enjoy the good things of life and deal with emergencies. As a result, I will be able to live a happy and stable life. Financial stability will also help me have a fruitful life after retirement. Therefore, my life will never be the same again without this core value.

None of my core values can act independently. The interaction among the five core values is what dictates who I am. These values determine how I interact with other people and which strategies I apply in life. They are truly what drive my life forward. Therefore, knowing and acknowledging my core values brings about satisfaction in me. Furthermore, these core values also help me design my lifetime goals. They, thus, help dictate the direction my life will take.

In conclusion, I agree that values are important to my life. However, my core values mean a lot to me. My core values include happiness, family, friends, pleasure and financial security and stability. The pleasant moods and emotions brought about by happiness are very important to me. In additionally, a family brings a feeling of being wanted and connected to my close confidants. Furthermore, friends help me overcome and interpret challenges in life. Moreover, Pleasure generates satisfaction and happiness in me. Finally, financial stability and security brings about contentment in me. However, none of these values can act alone. Therefore, I require the right mix of these values in order to live a successful life.

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IvyPanda. (2021, April 9). Core Values in Personal Belief System. https://ivypanda.com/essays/core-values-in-personal-belief-system/

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How to Find, Define, and Use Your Values

• Irina Cozma

Your values should reflect the most important aspects of your life.

There’s so much power in understanding what your values are — they can help you make decisions, guide your career, and even live a happier life. But how can you think about your values in an intentional way?

• Step 1: Find your values. Your values aren’t hiding. Even if you haven’t vocalized them, they’re a reflection of the most important aspects of your life. To identify yours, reflect on what’s important to you, create a list of the top three things, and rank them if you can.
• Step 2: Define your values. Write down what each of the values you identified really means to you, and try to keep your definition as short as possible — you want to be able to easily remember your values and how you define them. Ask yourself: If somebody were to wake me in the middle of the night and ask me to define my values, could I answer?
• Step 3: Use your values. You’ll know you have identified your values and truly defined them once you find yourself looking at the world around you through the framework of your values. One way to practice using your values is to reflect on a situation that’s frustrating you. Ask yourself: What is lurking behind my frustration? Is one of my values not being met?

What are your values?

• Irina Cozma , Ph.D., is a career and executive coach who supports professionals to have better career adventures. She coached hundreds of Fortune 500 executives from global organizations like Salesforce, Hitachi, and Abbott. Irina also coaches startups and the Physicians MBA at the University of Tennessee. Download her free career guide to help you prepare for your next career adventure.

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Home — Essay Samples — Philosophy — Values of Life — The Significance of Core Values

The Significance of Core Values

• Categories: Values of Life

About this sample

Words: 484 |

Published: Jan 30, 2024

Words: 484 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Table of contents

Definition of core values, personal core values, importance of identifying and embracing core values, impact of core values in society, challenges in upholding core values.

• Art & Science of Coaching. (n.d.). What are Core Values?. https://www.artscienceofcoaching.com/2019/05/23/what-are-core-values/
• Levin, D. (2018). The Significance of Ethical Decision Making. Harvard Business School. https://www.hbs.edu/news/articles/Pages/levin-ethical-decision-making.aspx
• Rokeach, M. (1973). The Nature of Human Values. Free Press.

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6 Ways to Discover and Choose Your Core Values

Knowing your values can guide your actions and give you inner peace..

Posted November 4, 2018 | Reviewed by Abigail Fagan

“What Should I Do?” Everyday Values Dilemmas

You’ve planned to have dinner with your friend on Friday night. On Friday morning, the guy you’ve been crushing on asks you out for the evening. Do you say yes and break the date with your friend?

You just got a raise. Should you bank it for retirement or make your life more comfortable now?

You wanted to get a head start on an important report for work later this evening. But your child has had a tough day and could benefit from your attention . Should you prioritize work or family?

Life presents an endless series of decisions, large and small, that require you to make difficult choices. While many factors are involved, the critical factor in deciding may be your core values. These values tell you what kind of person you are, or want to be, and provide guidelines, or even imperatives, for your actions.

But how do you know what your core values are? This blog post will reveal six ways to discover and choose your core values.

Values: A Definition

First, what is a “value” anyway?

Values “are the principles that give our lives meaning and allow us to persevere through adversity,” according to psychologist Barb Markway and Celia Ampel in The Self-Confidence Workbook . I love both parts of this definition—that values stand for our most meaningful ideals and also that they inspire us to keep going when the going gets tough.

You’ve probably learned many of your values from your parents, your teachers, your religious leaders, and the society around you. You’ve also probably rebelled against some of those values at times or changed your mind as you’ve learned more about yourself and your world. But it can be helpful to decide—or re-decide—the top six to eight values that mean the most to you right now and to have a shorthand label for those principles. That’s where the information below comes in.

Choosing Core Values

If you are not sure about your own core values, or if you would like to clarify which of your values are top priority now, here are six options.

1. Choose your top six to eight values from a wide-ranging list of values.

To do this, you need a good list.

Dr. Russ Harris, the author of numerous books about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), has provided such a list in his book, The Confidence Gap. You could also use a similar list from The Confidence Workbook or just use the mini-list that follows, making good use of the “other” option at the end of the list:

Financial Security; Compassion; Health/Fitness; Nature; Accomplishment; Creativity ; Dependability; Loyalty; Beauty; Bravery; Gratitude ; Love; Connection/Relationships; Learning; Leadership ; Survival; Self-Preservation; Security; Adventure; Family; Work; Success; Calm; Freedom; Other___; Other ___.

Now use one of these lists to select your top six to eight values. Yes, you can change your mind. In fact, it's natural to modify some of the values on this list as you face new and challenging situations. However, other values represent enduring ideals that you would only change under duress.

I did this activity recently using the Harris list, despite thinking beforehand that I already knew my values pretty well. It turned out to be enormously useful to put specific labels on my vague ideas of my core values. Among other things, I learned I put a high value on many of the “C” values, such as "compassion," "creativity," and "connection." Sometimes when I make a choice, I now say to myself, “Hmm. You decided to write a new blog instead of going out for coffee. That was creativity winning out over connection.”

Note that sometimes your choice is not between right and wrong but between two cherished values, as in my situation above.

2. Think of three to six people you most admire or love. Consider why they are so important to you.

Values can be personified in people that you love and admire. You can use this simple two-step process to uncover the values that you associate with your significant others and role models:

Step 1: Identify and write down six people who are important role models or valued connections for you. Step 2: Think of the values they embody. For example, your list might include: “my grandfather for his acceptance and love,” “my wife for her honesty,” “my colleague for his listening skills,” and “my friend for his loyalty,” to name a few.

Dr. Steven Hayes, the founder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, suggests that you uncover your values by naming your heroes. For example, why do you admire, say, Martin Luther King, Jr.? Is it because he fought for social justice? Is it his commitment to non-violence? His kindness to others? Identifying the specific values embodied by your heroes can inspire you to adopt those values for yourself.

3. See a career counselor.

Your values are a major determinant of career choice, work decisions, and career transitions. For example, you may value “financial security,” “helping,” or “being my own boss (autonomy).” Each of those values might lead you down a different career path. That’s why career counselors have a large toolbox of strategies and inventories (self-report tests with no right answers) including values inventories to help match their clients to a compatible career area.

4. Use an online values inventory.

You can find various values inventories online. One free online values inventory is located here . The authors, R. Kelly Crace and Duane Brown, are experts in wellness and career development. Although I’ve never worked with this particular inventory before, I agree with the authors’ idea that clarifying your values can “serve as a blueprint for effective decision-making and optimal functioning.” (The inventory looks so intriguing that I intend to take it myself—it's actually on my list.) By the way, if you are concerned about confidentiality (and I hope you are), the website states that the information you supply will be used for ongoing research, but your name will not be linked to your data.

5. Observe yourself and learn.

As you live your life, be mindful of the choices you make. For several days, consciously put a label on the values behind your key decisions at work and at home. Pay particular attention to whether the values you chose above are reflected in your daily life. If not, what values are you expressing or living by as you go through your day? Are there patterns? What can you learn about what you want, what you are willing to give up, and what is non-negotiable in your life? If you experience a lot of dissatisfaction with your choices, you may not be living up to your values or you may need to re-evaluate what is most important to you.

6. Focus on the bitter and the sweet in your life.

Dr. Hayes suggests that you learn about your values by thinking back to both the sweetest and most painful moments of your life. These moments could direct you to what you care about most. For instance, what were the peak experiences that might reveal key values? If you won an award for teaching, consider that "leadership" or "motivating others" might be significant values. What were the most painful experiences? If you know the pain of being excluded by others, you might realize that "compassion" is one of your primary values.

Difficult Choices and Difficult People

As mentioned above, there are times when two cherished values will be in conflict. Knowing why you are choosing Value 1 instead of Value 2 can be helpful in resolving any inner conflict you may feel. And certain values may rise to the top in particular situations. For example, during an emergency, “survival” may become the value that guides your actions. Values will also shift over time as you fulfill your various goals —for example, once you achieve a comfortable degree of "financial security," that value may recede into the background and other values may take its place.

Sometimes you’ll have to defend against difficult people—such as psychopaths, extreme narcissists, and master manipulators—who seem to be guided by negative values. With such people, it can be a challenge to stick to the positive values highlighted in this blog. Then there are the people who pay lip service to “core values” and “family values,” but whose choices betray their words as just empty rhetoric.

Observing yourself and being honest about what you see might keep the phrase “core values” from becoming a cliché. You can’t be perfect and you’ll often need to compromise, but you can aim for the integrity that a values-driven life can provide. As Dr. Harris sums it up in The Confidence Gap: “True success is living by your values.”

Know Your Values, Know Yourself

“Values” is one of six key elements to knowing who you are, as I explain in this blog . The others are interests, temperament, biorhythms , life goals, and strengths. But of all these, knowing your values is the royal road to self-knowledge because values choices both reveal and build character as you act on them. Your values are even more important than your goals, as Dr. Harris points out, because you might not reach your goals, but you can almost always choose to live by your values.

A Preview of Coming Attractions

This blog has focused chiefly on identifying your values so that you can make better life decisions. But there's much, much more. Although it's hard to believe, knowing your core values can help you reduce stress , communicate with more compassion, increase your self-confidence, and power up your willpower . The next blog will reveal the research behind those benefits and how you can utilize it for yourself.

Meanwhile, experiment with living the "values-driven life." Does living by your values increase your sense of satisfaction with yourself and your life?

© Meg Selig, 2018. All rights reserved. For permissions, click here .

Harris, R. (2011) The Confidence Gap . Trumpeter Books: Boulder, CO, p. 146.

Markway, B. & Ampel, C. (2018) The Self-Confidence Workbook . Althea Press: Emeryville, CA, p. 28.

Selig, M. “Know Yourself: 6 Specific Ways to Know Who You Are,” psychologytoday,

Hayes, S. C. "10 Signs You Know What Matters," Psychology Today , Sept/Oct 2018, p. 53 ff.

Values inventory . / https://www.lifevaluesinventory.org .

Meg Selig is the author of Changepower! 37 Secrets to Habit Change Success .

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